The Alcázar was built at the behest of Alfonso XI in 1327 over the remains of another fortress. It was focused to serve as a royal residence, so it had the appearance of a castle, which can be seen yet. From 1482, it served as military headquarter for the troops of the Catholics Monarchs. At the Alcázar was organized, during ten years, the strategy for conquering the Kingdom of Granada, which was the last Arabic stronghold in Spain. The monarchs spent lengthy seasons at the fortress, and they received Christopher Columbus there. When getting the unification of Spain with the annexation of the Kingdom of Granada in 1492, the Catholic Monarchs left Córdoba giving the Alcázar to the Inquisition Court. Then great reforms were undertaken to add some dungeons to the fortress, which made it to lose its palace nature. That’s the moment when the last tower –the Southern one- was raised, carrying the name of Tower of the Inquisition. The Holly Office stood at the Alcázar until it was abolished under the order of the Cortes de Cádiz in 1812. The religious congregation disappeared some years later.
